Leprosy Colony Abu Zaabal in Egypt

As this is an older post of mine that gets many visits I would like to add some notes today (22nd Oct 2013). People often ask me “How can I help?”.

Abu Zaabal is always happy to welcome volunteers of all sorts, medical professionals, social workers or simply people who could share some of their time to help patients or to renovate or repair facilities. Donations are also needed. Some of the medical equipment is really old like for example the x-ray machines and new ones are urgently needed. People who would like to help can visit Abu Zaabal, talk to the nuns there and find out which help would be useful right now. Contacting Caritas Egypt can also be an option.

On another note I’m looking for a possibility to exhibit these photos in order to raise more awareness. If some health NGO, cultural or art place or some company out there is interested in this kind of exhibition, PLEASE contact me.

HERE the story starts: Although leprosy is on the verge of extinction and many people totally forgot about this disease, there are still some leprosaria or leprosy colonies as they are often called. This is not a story about suffering and misery, but rather about a strange micro-cosmos, a place unknown to most people: the leprosy colony Abu Zaabal in Qalyoubiya, 40km north of Cairo. All tourists that fly into Cairo could see it from above as it is quite close to the airport if they would know that it is there. About 750 patients are still living there, and another 3,000-4,000 cured lepers are living in the adjoining Abdel Moneim Riad village.

The bacterium responsible for leprosy was discovered in 1873 by the Norwegian Dr Armauer Hansen, and a whole section in Cairo’s Agricultural Museum was dedicated to bacterial diseases like leprosyand tuberculosis. The display in the museum remains as if nothing had changed since.

Until the 1930s, the illness was seen as uncurable and highly infectious. Left untreated, leprosy can be progressive, causing permanent damage to the skin, nerves, limbs and eyes. In fact leprosy is not highly infectious, as approximately 95% of people are immune and sufferers are no longer infectious after only a couple of days treatment.

Lepers were brought in by police and were not allowed to leave for isolation was seen as the only treatment. It was a big open air prison. Circumstances back then were horrible with mice chewing away on lepers’ wounds while sleeping.

When Dr Karam Shakshak and Dr Ahmed Al Thokaby, the recent director, arrived at the beginning of this decade they first renewed the water station as the whole place had no clean water at all. Now there is a waste water treatment plant on the grounds of the colony and provides the hospital with clean water.

Three Comboni Sisters and two Elisabetine Sisters, two Italian orders, come every morning from Cairo-Heliopolis to Abu Zaabal to help the leprosy patients. Sister Vittoria (left) lives for 45 years in Egypt and works for 26 years in Abu Zaabal.

Abu Zaabal has a big section for men and a smaller for women because generally less women get infected by leprosy. There are bigger and smaller sleeping wards, where every patient has his/her own bed and cupboard. Most rooms have a TV as well.

I was worried about taking photos while patients have their bandages changed. But unexpectedly I found a relaxed atmosphere. The guys were chatting with each other and even joking. It is part of their daily routine and they exchange news while a nurse cleans out their wounds.

The operation rooms got better equipment, especially for ear, nose and throat operations. And most importantly the hospital got a back-up generator after power cuts occurred during surgery causing a disaster.

A team of 13-15 men, all cured patients, are helping to keep the garden clean and beautiful. They receive a small salary for their work. Most ex-lepers, especially if they have deformations can’t find jobs anymore.

Ahmed Mohamed (49) is one of them. The disease started when he was 18, but like many others the doctor discovered very late that he was suffering from leprosy. In 1980 he came to Abu Zaabal and received Multi Drug Treatment (MDT) and was finally cured. He met his wife here, also a common story, and they have five healthy children.

Jehad does not only take care of the garden she also visits those patients who suffered so much from leprosy that they have to spend their lives in bed. Sheikh Sayed, 88, suffered from leprosy since he was six years old. But only when he had an eye operation at the age of 18 the doctor diagnosed him with leprosy.

Gohari ,18, is the youngest male patient at Abu Zaabal. He finished his MDT treatment and now receives physiotherapy for his hands. Effective treatment for leprosy appeared in the late 1930s with the introduction of dapsone and its derivatives. However, leprosy bacilli resistant to dapsone gradually evolved and became widespread, and it was not until the introduction of Multi Drug therapy (MDT) in the early 1980s that the disease could be diagnosed and treated successfully.Belonging to the younger generation Gohari dose not want to spend his life in the colony but wishes to go return to Kafr El Sheikh, his home town, and continue school.

In the past they were often stigmatized and had to live the lives of pariah. So they got married in Abu Zaabal, moved to the neighbouring village and made their homes here. Also nowadays the living conditions in Abu Zaabal itself are much better than in a rural poor Egyptian village where most patients come from.

The about 55 nurses sometimes have exhausting days. Although many of those I talked said that they enjoy their work at Abu Zaabal. But payment is so low that some of them work at another hospital in the evenings.

Although she has deformed feet and hands she manages to walk around and prepare her own food. I had many funny conversations with here and couldn’t believe how lucid she is. She loves to sing, tease other younger patients and has a wicked humor. She kept nagging me to bring along my boyfriend to check him out.

As one of Abu Zaabal’s biggest donors Caritas Egypt founded in 1982 a socio-medical centre in adjoining Abdel Moneim Riad village. In their preschool/kindergarden they serve about 120 children of lepers and ex-lepers. The children learn reading and writing,…

Italian Sister Lina (88), as old as the oldest patients, is the coordinator of the Caritas Centre. It is more and more difficult to find young women who would serve as nuns for the leprosy colony or social work in general.

Zeinab from Upper Egypt, is an ex-patient of Abu Zaabal where she met her husband. They settled down here, had three healthy children. Now Zeinab sells vegetables in the street in front of her house. Here she doesn’t have to fear from stigma and horrible comments.

Doaa, 30, cured, also met her husband in the hospital and they decided to settle here after her husband worked in a cheese factory but got fired when they found out that he had suffered from leprosy. Now they have built a little house and she opened a grocery shop and is very proud that she can contribute to their living. The ultimate goal for leprosy patients in Egypt is to live a normal life in their communities, receive treatment there and go on with their lives.

Dear Claudia, I am deeply impressed by your curageous and respectful work! And a chance for the people to get somebody to tell THEIR Story to the world. To put the spot of enlightenment onto that reality means reducing the fear from Leprosy. And the knowledge hopefully brings more acceptance into the society; that they do not have to banish their people and give them space to take part of “normal” living.
All my respect to those, who take care to another!

PS: And hopefully the egyptian medicines are getting a better education for the future prophylaxis !!!

A nice moving story Claudia. Being from India I know how the society look down upon the patients, though massive campaigning drive from government and non-government agencies have helped to increase the general awareness.

However I think the story could gain from a tighter edit. Also I would insist you to prepare a slideshow with the text and some voice over; this is a pretty interesting story.

Hi Claudia,
This is a fantastic project, beautiful people and wonderful photographs. I especially like the gateau guy! I had never heard of this community before, and I hope your work finds a wide audience. Thanks!
Cassie

Fantastic photography. I wrote a feature story about the colony for Egypt Today (you can read it <a href=”http://etharelkatatney.blogspot.com/2008/07/last-of-lepers.html”here) and I wish you’d been my photographer 🙂

Dear Claudia,
These are really lovely pictures, and I love how you combined it with the personal stories of all these people.
A few years ago I participated in some working camps in the colony and I am really moved to see my old friends again, especially in this wonderfull portrait…
thank you for sharing this and please go on!

I would like to thank you for this wonderful picture.
I worked as a vouluntary during two weeks in Abu Zaabal two years ago..
I was very glad to see your picture and to recognise some wonderful people I met there.
thank you again

I’m a nursing student from belgium.
One year ago I went to Abu Zaabal (the mens facility) as a voulunteer.
We managed to buy the surgical lamp on your pictures 🙂
We also took pictures, though not in the brilliant way as you !
( http://projectegyptesai.blogspot.com/ ) this is our site (in dutch) 🙂

It pleases me to see the wonderful people I met there.
I would like to thank you for the beautiful pictures you took and the story’s behind the people you wrote. one day I hope to go back.

i’m a student Nurse and this year in march I’ve been to the leprosy as an intership for my studies. I’m very happy to see the beautiful pictures and stories. I recognize a lot of the people. I’ve had tears in my eyes when I saw this website. I miss the people very much, they are like family.
Being en working there has been the most beautiful experience in my life so far.

Hey, I read a lot of blogs on a daily basis and for the most part, people lack substance but, I just wanted to make a quick comment to say GREAT blog!…..I”ll be checking in on a regularly now….Keep up the good work! 🙂

Hi Claudia, my name is Debbie Nell and I am the editor of Maadi Messenger magazine, a free publication for expats in Maadi, Cairo. We are raising money for the leprosy colony which you visited recently and I was wondering if I could use one of the photos in your article.

Gods doing miracle through you in many blessed ways. Hope we all learn something from you at least I did. Jehad you are an angel. You both are the best in spite of so several hardship. Hope someday I will be of assistance because this is really awarding and achievement in getting back a smile. YOU BOTH ARE THE BEST.

Thank you for this journey to Abu Zaabal, I lived in Egypt and never knew what Abu Zaabal is for! However, I was in search for the work of Henry Boulad the man who developed programes in Egypt to reduce Leprosy from Egypt. He used to run Caritas Egypt which was responsible for the current state of where lerprosy in Egypt as we see it today. I am impressed by your work; story and photography. I am more educated because of you.

This is an eye-opener.Your pictures are better than a thousand words. I cannot stop admiring those who survive and those who help this community. It is absolutely true the hospital in Abou Zaabal is cleaner than hundreds of hospitals all over Egypt. I have often admired the work of Caritas and all other organizations and people who have contributed to providing better conditions to current and ex-victims of leprosy. As part of its social commitment,The Mere de Dieu Girls Catholic school in Cairo organizes day trips for its students to serve food to the colony residents. It is a pity that one often forgets many segments of society that need support, love, attention and care. May I one day have the strength to help in my own way.
thank you.

Mahmoud I’m Egyptian and I live in Egypt 21 years old
And lived through since the small city of Abu Zaabal
I know this hospital, which is located in a place away from the city of Abu Zaabal about 10 minutes by car called a leper colony
I know some of these patients are inclined to the city Obozaabl shopping every day
Some of the children and treat them ill-treatment, unfortunately,
God heals all patients
To connect

these images express how many peoples suffer from leprosy in egypt ,and express also how many people provide help to these patients without fear of infection, as misanderstanded by alot of people to escape when he see leprotic patients.

TY for such a human story. I had no idea that 95% of people have a natural immunity to Leprosy and that after a couple of days of treatment it is not infectious. Your pictures speak a thousand words and the village in Egypt looks such a happy place of kindness and acceptance and joy in self love. A kinder place than many places in our society!!!!

Hi, I just stumbled across your blog entry via google images. I am currently doing a small international health project on leprosy and looking at the social stigma surrounding the disease. It is fantastic to see so many beautiful, smiling faces of people who have suffered with leprosy.

What a beautiful reportage! I am a student from Leiden University doing a master in Modern Middle East Studies and I want to research the history of the treatment of leprosy in Egypt for my master thesis. For this I would like to get in contact with people at Abu Zaabal to find out if they have any archives about the decission to built Abu Zaabal and if it would be okay for me to come and visit to research this. How did you get in contact with them?

I’m a writer from Hausham, Germany just forwarded this onto a colleague who is performing some sort of research on this. And she in fact ordered me lunch only because I stumbled upon it for her… lol. Actually, allow me to paraphrase this…. Thanks for the food… But yeah, thanks for taking some time to talk about this issue here on your site.

[…] yesterday, there is a secret place hardly any Egyptian knows about: a leper colony. Claudia Wiens photographed it beautifully back in 2009, when about 750 patients were still confined there, with several thousand […]

I can almost hear them talking and giggling and smell the air around them. This is beautiful in so many ways. I never knew this “colony” existed and I lived my entire life in Egypt.
Thank you, it is very touching.

Really , this story touched my soul and my heart, god bless this service and bless all the stuff . Hopping god show mersy to those diseased people and cure them. And thanks for learning me how to thank god for every thing , i am asking if we can help ? Even by money ?

Heartwarming and vert touching!! God bless each and every soul helping out in this colony and easing the pain of the people living there, whether physical pain or moral! You are true angels & real heroes!!!!! God bless you all!

Hey, would like to ask you if I can publish one of your photo’s and link it back/credit it to you and your blog? It is for a think tank and I do a weekly round up of news/photos/everything on Egypt. Let me know!

Hi Tom, sorry for my late reply. I had a look at your website. Great work about leprosy. I think there should be more awareness about this topic. Maybe we should organize a joint exhibition? What do you think?